


Role Revert

by PataHikari



Category: Tsukihime
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-15
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-02-09 01:10:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1963308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PataHikari/pseuds/PataHikari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shiki wakes up one morning to find his admittedly odd family acting even stranger then usual.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Why am I being woken up by her?

“Shiki-sama, it’s time to wake up.”  
  
It was a simple routine. Ever since he had moved into the Tohno Mansion, no matter how his day had gone, Shiki would be woken up by the calm voice of Hisui. Letting out a comfortable groan, he stretched his arms and legs. Before opening his eyes he grabbed his glasses off his nightstand and slipped them on. “Good morning Hi-” Shiki stopped talking. “What...?” Hisui wasn’t there, the familiar maid with the stoic expression wasn’t standing by his bed. “Aki...ha...?”  
  
The girl who had gone from his adopted younger sister to his lover was standing by his side, wearing a maid outfit. “Ah, Good Morning, Shiki-sama.”  
  


  
**Part 1: Why am I being woken up by her?**

Shiki’s room was completely silent. The owner of the room was sitting up straight, staring at the girl who had come to wake her up. Akiha stood before him, wearing a maid uniform and a soft smile. She stared at him, waiting for him to say anything. What could he say? The situation was strange, it defied his routine. Was this some joke of Akiha’s? Something Kohaku had cooked up? He couldn’t say. Still, perhaps the best way to get answers was to simply ask the question in the first place. He looked at the oddly dressed Akiha, and spoke. “Um, Akiha, why are you waking me up?”  
  
At these words, the smile on Akiha’s face faded. Her expression became an odd mixture of confusion and irritation. “Shiki-sama, I am waking you up because it is my duty to wake you up. Otherwise you would sleep the day away, bringing shame upon the Tohno Family.”  
  
Well, that was direct. Also unhelpful. “No, Akiha, I’m not asking  **why** you’re waking me up. I’m asking why  **you** are waking me up,” He said, hoping this would explain what, exactly, he was looking to find out.  
  
The irritation faded, but the confusion remained. “Shiki-sama, if I do not wake you up, nothing can. I’ve tried alarm clocks, you’ve ignored them. It is only my voice that can stir you from your excessive slumber. Sometimes not even then.”  
  
“OK fine,” Shiki sighed, he obviously wasn’t going to get anywhere with that line of questioning. Time for a different avenue of attack. “So why are you dressed like that?”   
  
Akiha’s patience was visibly running thin. “Shiki-sama, this is my work uniform. I wear this when I do my job.” The look on her face suggested that answering this question was, for whatever reason, part of her job as well. “Perhaps, are you suggesting you wish for me to wear a different sort of maid uniform?” Her expression became dangerous.  
  
“N-no! Not at all!” Shiki said, “It’s... you know what, nevermind. I’m sorry for bugging you about this.”  
  
Ahika’s expression softened, “It is no real trouble, Shiki-sama. It’s my duty to make sure you have no troubles.” She gestured towards his desk, three sets of clothing were laid out on it, “As it is Sunday, I took the liberty of picking some outfits you might wear.” Akiha then turned on her heel, towards the door, “Breakfast is in fifteen minutes, please do not be late, Shiki-sama.” She efficiently left the room.   
  


* * *

The first thing Shiki did after getting dressed was check the calendar. It was not April 1st. While this did not rule out some prank, it made it much less likely.  
  
“I’m here!” Shiki announced as he burst into the dining room. Getting dressed and checking the date had taken up a fair amount of time. Fortunately, he had made it with a mere minute to spare. The table was already set, the breakfast was western style. Toast with jam, sausage, eggs, orange juice, and waffles. Akiha was already there, she pulled back the chair at the head of the table, “Oh, um, thanks.”  
  
“You’re welcome.” Akiha said, and then stood there, “Well, Shiki-sama?”   
  
“Uh, right, thank you for the meal...” Shiki grabbed a fork and began cutting into his waffles. Akiha stood next to him, watching his every move. An eyebrow raised as he picked up the wrong fork, a sigh as he took a bite of eggs a little too large. It was quickly becoming the most stressful meal he had ever eaten. He quickly drained his glass of orange juice. Moving quickly Akiha picked up the pitcher full of it. “Well... sure, I’ll have some more.” Akiha efficiently filled the glass to just near the top. “T-thanks.” Akiha resumed simply standing by his side. “Um, Akiha, aren’t you going to have breakfast?”  
  
Akiha sighed, “Shiki-sama, a servant eating with you is improper. Besides, I have already had breakfast.”  
  
“Got it,” Shiki said, and continued to eat. The food was good, yet there was something different about it. It didn’t have quite the same touch that Kohaku’s cooking did. “Akiha... who cooked this?”  
  
Akiha gave Shiki the look of one who was very tired of stating the obvious, “Are you well, Shiki-sama?”  
  
“Just... answer the question Akiha,” Shiki said with a groan.  
  
“I prepared breakfast.” Akiha answered matter-of-factly.  
  
“Got it,” Shiki said. So Akiha had made this meal. Granted, enjoying something cooked by Akiha had been a little private fantasy of his for some time now. But this wasn’t exactly the context in which he had wanted it.  
  
“Is there a problem with the meal?” Akiha asked.  
  
“No. It’s great.” Shiki said, and it was. Even if it lacked that spark Kohaku’s meals had. If he had to guess, Akiha was proficient at following the recipes and directions exactly. So what Akiha had produced was technically perfect. Kohaku, on the other hand, did a bit more experimenting, so there was always some minor unique element to her meals.  
  
He finally finished his breakfast, and Akiha began immediately gathering the plates and utensils   
  


* * *

As Shiki had no school to go to, and no further plans for what he could do this day, he decided to stay at home. It wasn’t exactly exciting, but there was little else he could think to do.  
  
The mansion was especially quiet today. While one would never describe the Tohno Household as “bustling”, it had an even greater lack of people today. Hisui and Kohaku, the twin maids who managed everything about the house, had vanished. Their rooms were locked, and he didn’t have the keys to them. His exploration had taken him through every room that was open. Akiha’s room wasn’t any different, but he noticed the bed hadn’t looked slept in. Instead a room near hers with a spartan bed and a closet with a few articles of clothing he recognized as her’s was unlocked and appeared to have been used.  
  
Finally, after wandering around for an hour, he found himself in front of Akiha. She had a broom in her hands and was sweeping the entryway. Shiki sat down in a nearby chair and watched. Akiha’s expression was distant, and her motions efficient and casual. She moved as one who had done this many times before, and would continue to do so many times in the future.  _Swish, swish._ The only sound in the mansion was that of her broom brushing against the ground. He sat, mesmerised by her, until she finally realized his existence. “Shiki-sama,” She said, stopping her sweeping and looking into his eyes, “Is there something you need?”  
  
“No.” Shiki said, “Not particularly. I was just bored, and ended up watching you work.”  
  
“Did you not make any plans?” She asked.  
  
Shiki shook his head, “Well, I’m more of an ‘in the moment’ guy, you know?” He generally did things on a whim. Akiha or one of the servants had often planned activities, and sometimes Arihiko had come over to drag him into some dumb adventure. But now he felt oddly alone, only Akiha who was not quite Akiha remained. It was as if he had been pulled into another world.  
  
Akiha sighed, “You should plan for your future more, Shiki-sama. The Tohno legacy rests on your shoulders. Would it hurt to act with a dignity appropriate to such a duty?”   
  
“What about you then, Akiha?” Shiki asked suddenly,  
  
“What about me?” Akiha seemed to have been caught off guard.  
  
“What plans do you have for the future?” Shiki said, he knew full well what Akiha’s plans were, the two of them had discussed them in length. Still, he felt like maybe this was the point. Maybe she wanted him to think? If that was true, she would probably tell him about them, or tell him to not change the subject.  
  
But instead, Akiha looked away, a faint blush. “I... I’m content with simply serving you.”  
  
“I see.” That wasn’t the answer he was expecting. Shiki had decided, this was far too much work for a simple prank. Something strange was going on.  
  


* * *

The hours passed, Shiki waiting, Akiha working. There was nothing to do, nothing he could think of. He couldn’t just relax, not when half the home’s residents were missing and the other was acting strangely. With nowhere else to go and nothing else to do, he ended up in the library. Shiki didn’t particularly want to be in here, but there was nowhere else to be, and if he could find a book he might not be so bored. Wandering through the shelves, he picked up a book. It was a simple enough subject, the Tohno Family history. “Tch.” He became annoyed looking at that book, still, he opened it up. It was a mix of handwritten memoirs and newspaper clippings. He flipped through it for a few minutes, reading about activities his adopted ancestors had done. The book ended, naturally, with the death of Makihisa. Putting the book away, he looked around for some fiction, something else to distract his mind.  
  
“Shiki-sama.” Akiha’s voice announced her presence, entered the room, “Dinner is ready.”  
  
“It is? Shiki sighed, “Guess I didn’t find anything interesting after all.” He began to walk out of the library, stopping as he passed Akiha.  
  
“Yes...?” Akiha said.  
  
Shiki thought about what he could say to her. Asking her to stop? Telling her that this was enough? He didn’t know. This day was strange and he didn’t even know if he wasn’t the one going crazy. “Isn’t it a lot? Doing all the cooking and cleaning by yourself? Don't you have any help?”  
  
Akiha, again, reacted to him with confusion. “Are you  **absolutely** sure you’re well? You’ve been acting strangely all day, and seem to have forgotten much.” She shook her head, “Still, I can answer the question. I am the only maid in the household. It is not much, I am only caring for you along, after all.”  
  
“Are you sure?” Shiki found himself believing her. “I wouldn’t mind help-”  
  
“No.” Akiha said forcefully.  
  
Shiki couldn’t help but smile, “So I’ve offered that before?” He had actually made the same offer to Hisui and Kohaku several times, they had never accepted it though.  
  
Akiha smiled back, “Many times.” She walked out the door, her dress fluttering with each confident step, “Well come on Shiki-sama, I worked hard on dinner, are you going to ignore it?”   
  
“I’m too hungry for that.” Shiki admitted.  
  


* * *

  
Dinner was, like breakfast, western style. Grilled chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, some rolls, and to his surprise, wine. When he had questioned it, she said, “There’s nothing wrong with a little wine with dinner, Shiki-sama.” Shiki, of course, figured she just wanted an excuse to drink some herself later. Of course, dinner was still mildly stressful. With Akiha leaning over his shoulder (figuratively, he was sure she’d call doing it literally “improper”) he felt like he had to put on a display of perfect table manners, otherwise she’d just look at him disapprovingly and he’d feel terrible. So even though it was just the two of them, Shiki put on the show of a perfect gentlemen.

  
“It was good.” He said as he finished off the rolls, leaving nothing on his plates.  
  
“Thank you.” Akiha curtsied, “I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Shiki’s face turned red as it came to him. He had been distracted all day by the strangeness of it all, but now one fact came to him. Akiha was really cute in that outfit. Akiha was rarely ‘cute’. Most of the time she projected an image of elegant beauty, only rarely seeming ‘cute’ when they were alone. Plus, he had to admit, he had a few times wondered what she would look like in that maid outfit. “Oh... uh...” Akiha seemed to realize what Shiki was thinking, and her face became a little red as well. “W-well, Shiki-sama, is there anything else you need?”  
  
“I think I’ll just go back to reading.” Shiki said quickly, and after saying so Akiha quickly gathered up the dishes and ran out of the dining room.  
  


* * *

While Shiki wouldn’t call it the weirdest day he had experienced, it was definitely up there. Still, whatever it was, a prank, a weird dream, whatever, Shiki was sure that things wouldn’t continue on like this. By tomorrow things would be back to normal, Hisui would wake him up, he and Akiha would be back to their normal relationship, and they would either laugh at their prank or he would laugh at this odd dream. Yes, that must be it, this is all just a dream...

* * *

  
“Good morning, Shiki-sama.”  
  
Shiki pulled on his glasses and opened his eyes as he sat up.  
  
Akiha, still wearing that maid outfit, smiled at him.  
  
_Thump._ Shiki fell back into his bed.  
  
“Shiki-sama!?”


	2. She's dating who?

After breakfast there was still some time before Shiki had to head to school. So he decided to attempt to sate his curiosity. What would Akiha do while he was at school? Hisui and Kohaku didn’t need to go to school, both of them had already passed the Daiken Test. What would Akiha do? He checked her room, it was still empty and unused.  
  
There was, of course, that room that he had noticed yesterday. Was Akiha really using that room? The door was now shut, “Akiha?” He said as he opened it, “Are you-” Akiha was in there, yes. However, she wasn’t wearing anything but her underwear. Their eyes locked, Shiki’s eyes didn’t dare move anywhere else.  
  
He shut the door just as the screaming started.  
  


**Part 2: She’s dating who?**

  
“Shiki-sama... there is a ritual human beings perform called knocking.” Akiha said, as Shiki sat in a chair, his head hung low. “We do it before we open closed doors.” She was now wearing the girl’s uniform of his school. Shiki had to admit, Akiha looked good in it. The shorter skirt, in particular, he approved of. Of course, such thoughts were in the back of his mind right now. His chief concern was avoiding setting Akiha off and ending his pitiful life. “What were you thinking? Just marching into a young lady’s room without a single thought!? Shouldn’t you know better Shiki-sama!?”  
  
  
“It’s not like-” Shiki was about to say “It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked a million times before.” but he realized that, perhaps, saying such a thing to Akiha as she was now might absolutely lead to his death. For one thing, he was beginning to think that Akiha had no idea what their relationship had been just two days ago. She, he and Akiha were very rarely overtly romantic, but she hadn’t even dropped any  **hints.**  “Uh, Akiha...” Shiki said, “Perhaps we should head to school now?”  
  
This seemed to drive Akiha out of her lecturing state, “Oh! Right. We don’t want to be late.” She quickly twirled around and Shiki had to wonder for a moment why the girls uniform’s skirts were so short. The skirt had flared up, as she spun, just a little bit more and Shiki would have gotten a dangerous sight that Akiha might have decided to kill him for, late for school or not.  
  


* * *

Everything outside the mansion looked normal as well. Nothing had changed, the path to school was the same familiar one he had taken for the past year.  
  
Akiha walked slightly ahead of him, while he doubted that she would be particularly affected by this seeming change in route. As far as he knew, she had only gone to his school for a very short while, but judging by how she had the uniform-  
  
“MRRROOOWW!!”  
  
“Waaahhh!” With his focus on Akiha, Shiki hadn’t been paying any attention to the rest of the world, and thus tripped over a cat. “Owww....”  
  
In an instant, Akiha was at his side, “Shiki-sama! Are you injured? Is anything bleeding, broken? Do you need me to carry you?”  
  
“Nnnn I’m fine...” Shiki groaned as he stood up, “I just tripped, nothing major.” He brushed the dirt off his clothes, nothing was hurting. “I’m fine, really.” He smiled reassuringly at her. Akiha didn’t look quite convinced, but at the same time they couldn’t dawdle or else they’d be late. “Oh, by the way...” He said, beginning to walk again, forcing Akiha to keep up. “At school, um, what do you...”  
  
Akiha sighed, “Memory problems again? It would only lead to trouble and bothersome rumors. At school you are simply Tohno-Senpai.”  
  
“That’s good.” Shiki was grateful that Akiha seemed to not be as stubborn as Hisui on this matter.... “...yeah.” Great. He was beginning to accept this premise as normal.  
  


* * *

  
After reaching the school, Shiki and Akiha parted. He went up to the third floor with the Third Years, while Akiha went to the second as a Second Year. Class was uneventful, unlike the last time he remembered Akiha coming to his school, nobody reacted. Even the one constant in his school life acted normal.  
  
“Oh if it isn’t Tohno-sama. How goes the rich life?” Arihiko said.  
  
That is to say, Arihiko was the same strangely likable pain-in-the-ass as usual.  
  
“I’ve been living in that place for a year and you just now bring it up? I guess that is the limits of your thought processing ability.” Shiki quipped back.  
  
“Nah man. It’s nothing like that. I just thought I’d remind you of it. You know, to let you know how good you have it. Living in that huge mansion, heir to a large fortune, have Akiha-chan as a cute live in maid...” Arihiko said.  
  
“...” Well that confirmed that this wasn’t just as delusion of Akiha. Arihiko was a (mostly) normal guy, so if he was playing along then it was likely something more. “You just want me to lend you some money, don’t you.”  
  
“Oh hey man, I’m hurt.” Arihiko clenched his fists dramatically, “To accuse your best friend of begging you cash, how can you sink so low?”  
  
“Depends, how much do you want?” Shiki said.  
  
“Well, enough for a decent dinner for two wouldn’t be too bad...”  
  
Shiki raised an eyebrow, “For two? If you want me to go get ramen with you me lending you the money kind of kills the point of you paying for it.”  
  
Arihiko slapped Shiki on the back, “Not for you, dumbass! It’s a date!”  
  
“Really?” Shiki said, “I’m impressed any woman would get near you.”  
  
“Heh. I guess you just don’t understand my bad-boy charm.” Arihiko puffed his chest out proudly. “Yeah, then again I guess you don’t need to worry about dates. What with Akiha-chan and all... man if I had a maid like her I wouldn’t worry about other women ei-”  
  
“Ohhhhh are you having dirty thoughts Ari-kun?” A new voice interrupted their discussion.  
  
Both of them turned their gaze to the source of the new voice. “Koha-” Shiki almost said, then stopped. She was a girl yes, with red hair, and a cheerful smile. But her eyes were not Kohaku’s amber. Rather, they were jade blue... “Hisui...?”  
  
“Hi Shiki-chan!” Hisui said, grinning widely, before turning back to Arihiko, “I don’t think Nee-san will like hearing about that.”  
  
“O-oh come on Hisui-chan! It was just guy talk, you know?” Arihiko said defensively.  
  
“Really? I thought for sure you were saying how Akiha-chan was prettier than her.” Hisui said.  
  
“I never said that!” Arihiko said.  
  
“Oh? Then what was all that about then...?” Hisui’s grin was like a shark nearing it’s prey.  
  
“I wouldn’t put too much stock in anything he says Hisui.” Shiki said, barely managing to get back into the flow of things. “He’s an idiot who can not survive without one foot firmly planted in his mouth at all times.”  
  
“Yeah! Exactly!” Arihiko said. A moment passed, and he realized Shiki’s defense of him had been rather insulting, “Hey!” He glared at the giggling Hisui, “Shouldn’t you be back with the second years? We Seniors are very busy.”  
  
“Awwww I just wanted to eat lunch with Shiki-chan.” Hisui mock-pouted, “Then I hear you planning to cheat on poor Nee-san!”  
  
“What? What goes on in that head of yours?!” Arihiko looked ready to pull his hair out.  
  
“Lunch...” Shiki’s eyes widened, “Oh crap.” He looked through his pockets, no money in his wallet.  
  
Hisui frowned, “Geez Shiki-chan, did you forget lunch?”  
  
Shiki laughed nervously, “Yeah. It was stupid of me. I don’t have any money on me either. Guess I’ll be going hungry today.”  
  
“Really man? You’re rich and you don’t have any cash on you?” Arihiko said.  
  
Shiki rolled his eyes, “It’s not that simple Arihiko. I may have a lot of money on paper, but most of it’s all held up in properties and investments. Plus a lot of even that is held up in the Tohno Group, so I couldn’t even begin to get at it without getting permission from extended family and investors. My personal funds are significantly smaller than you would think.”  
  
“Wow.” Hisui said, “When did you get all responsible sounding Shiki-chan?”  
  
“Yeah I have to agree. You almost sounded smart for a minute there.” Arihiko said.  
  
Shiki groaned at the two redheads. “I have to become an adult some time, don’t I?” At first he had not had anything to do with the family finances. But a few months ago Akiha began guiding him through the process of managing the large amount of money his family handled. He had found himself enjoying it, not so much for the sake of earning more cash, but more for just being able to spend more time with her.  
  
The door to the classroom opened. “Ah... it’s Akiha-chan.” Arihiko said. Just as he had said, Akiha entered the class, holding a bag. A few people whispered about what she was doing here... but nothing too odd.  
  
“Senpai.” Akiha said, walking up to the desk.  
  
“Y-yes?” Shiki said. ‘Senpai.’ Not ‘Shiki’ or ‘Nii-san’ (as she still sometimes called him) or anything like that.  
  
Akiha held up the bag and set it on the desk, “Forgive me, I forgot to give this to you before we left.” She turned and left the classroom, ignoring the whispers. Shiki opened the bag. It was a lunch box.  
  
“Guess I’m going to eat after all.” Shiki said with a slightly embarrassed smile.  
  
Hisui giggled, “She’s great, isn’t she?”  
  
“Y-yeah.” Shiki sighed.  
  


* * *

  
School ended without any further events. Shiki ended up walking out with Arihiko and Hisui. The two seemed to get along fairly well. Hisui quite cheerfully gossiping about every single thing that had happened in school today “...was absent today and Haru-san was sure it was because of her but I was like no way would...” Shiki was beginning to miss the normal Hisui.  
  
Leaving the building, Shiki noticed another girl standing by the gates. She was... very similar looking to Hisui, only her slightly longer hair distinguished her.  
  
“H-hello, Kohaku-san.” Shiki said.  
  
Kohaku smiled, but it was subtle. “Good afternoon, Shiki-san.” She replied back.  
  
“H-hey Kohaku-chan...” Arihiko said.  
  
“Good afternoon to you too Arihiko-san.” Kohaku said.  
  
“Right! Nee-san, he was saying awful things!” Hisui jumped in front of her, “He was totally going to mmmphhh!” Hisui couldn’t say anymore because Arihiko had decided to cover her mouth.  
  
“Just ignore her. She takes stupid things way out of context.” Arihiko said, struggling to still hold Hisui.  
  
Kohaku sighed, “Arihiko-san, you can let go of Hisui-chan now. I know she’s just teasing.”  
  
“...nbmmmmmggmmmggg with a goat!” Hisui said as Arihiko finally released her.  
  
“How was today, Shiki-san?” Kohaku said, her tone polite and even.  
  
“A little strange, but not... too bad.” Shiki answered.  
  
“Glad to hear.” Kohaku said.  
  
“So, Kohaku-chan.” Arihiko pushed himself in front of her, “Um, about tonight... I might not have enough money for-”  
  
“Oh that’s fine.” Kohaku said, “Just a walk through the park, is fine. Maybe we could play some games?”  
  
Arihiko groaned, “You always beat me at those...”  
  
That’s when it hit Shiki, all the casual hints dropped through the day. “Wait... Kohaku-san... are... are you dating Arihiko?!”  
  
There was a long silence.  
  
“Wow Tohno. We’ve been going out for a month and you just now comment on it?” Arihiko’s jaw was dropping.  
  
Shiki, luckily, was quick to recover. “Every time I see it it’s like a dream. Such an impossible event of you attracting someone so out of your league it’s not even funny, I find myself thinking I hallucinated.”  
  
“Man...” Arihiko groaned, “Look, I know they’re your childhood friends, but could you turn down the protectiveness?”  
  
“Nope! Me and Shiki-chan will keep Nee-san safe from your bad intentions!” Hisui chimed in.  
  
Kohaku sighed again, “OK Hisui-chan. What about protecting Arihiko-san from my bad intentions?”  
  
“Oh those are fine.” Hisui said.  
  
“Hey!” Arihiko shouted, “Women... why do I bother....?”  
  
“How are you feeling Kohaku-san?” Shiki said as Hisui and Arihiko got into another spat.  
  
“Oh I’ve been well Shiki-san.” Kohaku replied, “Been doing homework and all that.”  
  
“I can imagine it’s a bit of a pain.” Shiki said, “Oh...” He looked back to his friend, “Uh...”  
  
“It’s fine, Shiki-san.” Kohaku seemed to understand what he was thinking.  
  
“No, no it’s fine. I know he’s a good guy, even if he’s a big of a punk.” Shiki said, “I was just thinking about you.”  
  
Kohaku smiled for the second time today, it was warm. “I’m glad. You’ve always looked out for us, since we were kids.”  
  
 _A girl in the window. Watching, expressionless, as they played._  
  
 _Since we were kids..._  Shiki thought, and realized what was going on. Hisui and Kohaku were acting like, as far as he could tell, as they acted as children. “Yeah,” He said with a bitter smile, “I do, Kohaku-san.”  
  
“Got you now!” Hisui was now somehow on top of Arihiko’s back.  
  
“Ahhh! Get her off me! Get the monster off me!” Arihiko shouted.  
  
Shiki groaned, “Damn it. Hisui, please stop trying to murder my friend.”  
  


* * *

Arihiko and Kohaku went off on their own, apparently to head to their date, so Shiki was left with Hisui. But before he could talk to her further, Akiha left the building.  
  
“Good afternoon Hisui-san.” Akiha said.  
  
“Hi Akiha-chan.” Hisui waved.  
  
“Was I interrupting something?” Akiha looked between him and Hisui.  
  
“I was just about to drag Shiki-chan to a love hotel and make him my husband, you know, the usual.” Hisui said casually. Shiki nearly fell over.  
  
Akiha smirked, “Oh? That would be difficult as I thought last week you were going to marry him to Kohaku-san.”  
  
“Well, you know, gotta be flexible.” Hisui said.  
  
Shiki began to wonder just what world he had been dragged in to.  
  
“Oh I think Shiki-sama is getting uncomfortable.” Akiha said.  
  
“Oh I’m just fine.” Shiki said, “Just wondering what I wanted for dinner.”  
  
“Dinner...” Hiusi said, “Shiki-chan! Can I please please please come over for dinner?” She clasped her hands together, “Pleeeaassssee?”  
  
Shiki looked over to Akiha, “Uh... do you think it’s...”  
  
Ahikia shrugged, “It’s your choice.”  
  
Right, he was technically in charge now. It was odd. “Sure... Hisui. I’d be glad to have you.”  
  
“Yay!” Hisui jumped for joy, “I don’t have to eat take out and old plums tonight!” She laughed, “Cause you know Nee-san’s going to be out late.”  
  
“Uh... I’m trying not to think of that.” Shiki said.


	3. Why did he kiss me?

“Woooo!” Hisui was the one to open the mansion doors, running at high speed, the doors almost exploding open. This left Akiha to apologize to a woman walking by Hisui had run into. As Hisui ran into the mansion, she seemed to slow down... stopping a foot in the mansion. She looked around with a slightly unreadable expression. “Something wrong?” Shiki said.  
  
“Ah.... it’s nothing at all, Shiki-chan.” The smile returned to Hisui’s face, “Come on, you can help with me and Akiha-chan with homework before dinner!”

**Part 3: Why did he kiss me?**

While Shiki wasn’t exactly stupid, it was plain that Akiha exceeded him academically. Even though he was a year ahead of her, she seemed to grasp and remember the concepts of school work far better than him. Granted, neither he or Hisui needed much help as they tackled homework together. But if he and Hisui were of moderate intelligence, Akiha was practically a genius. Still, this was the first time he had ever done anything like this. He tended to be a loner, and he and Arihiko didn’t really talk much about school.  
  
Soon enough, the clock rang, announcing that it was Six PM. “Annnd done!” Hisui said, slamming her textbook shut.  
  
“Glad to see you’re as enthusiastic about... well, everything, Hisui-san.” Akiha stood up, “I believe it is around time to prepare for dinner.” With a bow she left the parlor  
  
“Maaannnnn...” Hisui slumped over the table they were sitting at. “I wish Nee-san would let me cook.”   
  
 _Well at least one thing hasn’t changed._  Shiki thought, “Well, maybe there’s a good reason for that?”  
  
“Pfft.” Hisui scoffed, “Nee-san just doesn’t appreciate the genius of banana shrimp pizza.”   
  
Shiki wondered just what sort of culinary horrors Hisui had in her mind. “So, Hisui,” He decided it would be wise to move the topic away from food, “How is Kohaku-san anyways?”  
  
“Nee-san’s fine.” Hisui rolled her head to the side, looking at Shiki directly, “She’s the responsible one, you know. I goof around everywhere, she cleans up after my messes.”   
  
“I would have figured you good enough to clean up after yourself.” Shiki said.  
  
“Nah I suck at cleaning,” Hisui laughed, with a hint of self-deprecation in there, “Nee-san’s the perfect housewife. Demure, good at everything at the home, smart with money...”  
  
“Well being a housewife isn’t everything, you know.” Shiki said.  
  
“Yup!” She sat up, pointing at Shiki, “That’s why, when I get through college, I’m counting on you to use your connections to set me up with a super-high paying job!”  
  
“I could always use a second maid.” Shiki replied.  
  
Hisui shrugged, “No way. Akiha-chan wouldn’t allow it.”  
  
“Eh? What do you mean-”  
  
“Not really my place to talk about it Shiki-chan.” Hisui said.  
  
“Yeah, I get it.” Shiki said as the conversation seemed to fade.  
  
It was Six Twenty Five when Akiha returned, dressed in that uniform once more. “Shiki-sama, Hisui-san, dinner is ready.”  
  
“Well that’s good....” Shiki got out of his chair, “Hisui?”  
  
Hisui was staring at Akiha. “...Hisui-san?” Akiha said.  
  
“Huh? Oh... excuse me.” Hisui shook her head, “Dazed out there for a second.” The smile returned, “Man Akiha-chan, you look cute in that.”  
  
“It’s nothing but a uniform...” Akiha said.  
  
“Nah I agree with Hisui.” Shiki said, and grinned when he saw Akiha blush.  
  
“D-don’t say such things! It’s improper, Shiki-sama!”

* * *

Dinner was surprising. Rather than the elaborate and fancy meal he had been expecting Akiha to prepare, it was hamburgers, french fries, and a salad. Akiha seemed to have noticed his surprise, “Is there a problem?”  
  
“No, it’s just not what I was expecting...” Shiki admitted.  
  
“I usually begin preparations for dinner at Five. However, since we had a guest that dragged me into doing my homework before work rather than after, I ended up having to prepare something that was quick.” Akiha admitted, “This meal is quick, and I know for a fact that Hisui-san eats more hamburgers than is healthy.”   
  
“And yet you encourage my bad habit.” Hisui countered, sitting down at the seat that was set for her. “...no plate for you, Akiha-chan?”  
  
“No. I am now at work, Hisui-san.” Akiha gestured towards her uniform.  
  
“Right just let her do what she wants.” Shiki said, sitting down at the head of the table, “Though... she usually eats before she serves me.” Akiha didn’t say anything, but Shiki could tell he was on the mark, “I guess though, since you had to rush, you haven’t had anything yet?”  
  
“I’ll be fine. I can eat later. The master of the house and his guest shouldn’t worry about me.”  
  
Shiki sighed, “Hisui, never be as stubborn as her, please.”  
  
“I’ll do my best.” Hisui said.

* * *

Shiki took a bite out of one of his french fries while Hisui drowned her salad in dressing. He didn’t know if he was getting used to things or if he had just decided to stop wasting energy being baffled about it. Akiha was still standing at attention behind him. It was a strange reversal. Still, there was something he knew he could do with Akiha that would let her relax a little. “Akiha... do you have any more wine?”

Akiha seemed taken aback, “I don’t think wine goes well with-”  
  
“Oh not for dinner, for after. The three of us could sit back and relax.” Shiki said.  
  
“Oh! That’s a great idea!” Hisui said, “I’m all for underage drinking!”  
  
“...” Shiki stared at Hisui, “Uh, please don’t put it like that.”

* * *

Shiki and Hisui moved to the parlor, Hisui quickly got comfortable on a large couch, while Shiki took a chair. Akiha walked in shortly after, three glasses in hand... and several bottles of wine. Shiki didn’t comment, he knew that alcohol was one of Akiha’s little vices she rarely indulged in.

“Here you are, Shiki-sama.” Akiha handed him a glass and poured the wine, she repeated the process with Hisui. “Now... to...  
  
“Come on Akiha, just sit down. You can relax with us tonight.” Shiki said.  
  
Akiha sighed, “I guess....” She sat down next to Hisui on the couch, placing the wine bottles on the nearby table.   
  
Their impromptu party began, Shiki turned on some music, as the conversation began to flit around in various directions. Shiki had been somewhat hoping that maybe alcohol would make them act a bit more like their usual selves.  
  
“So anyways then Satsuki-senpai was all ‘oh no you didn’t’ and I was like ‘oh go get her girl’ and Senpai was going ‘come on Hisui-chan, I can’t just beat her up’ and then I-”  
  
Hisui quickly disavowed him of that notion.  
  
Akiha was nodding rapidly, clearly hanging on to every word the increasingly drunk Hisui said.  
  
“After all that I... I....” Hisui stopped talking, her gaze turning to Shiki.  
  
“Y-yes?” Shiki said.  
  
“I just realized something.” Hisui said.  
  
“What?” Akiha said.  
  
Hisui raised her recently refilled glass into the air, “Shiki-chan has no power in this house!”  
  
“What!?” Akiha stood up, “What do you mean by that!” Picking up an empty wine bottle, she pointed it forward. Presumably she meant to point it at Hisui in a dramatic fashion. However, her aim was off, and she was pointing at a wall.   
  
“Well... Akiha-chan does everything, right?” How did Hisui’s glass keep switching so rapidly between empty and full? “She takes care of the cleaning, the cooking, she watches everything... I don’t think I’ve ever seen Shiki-chan say no to her. Soo.... she’s the power behind the throne!”  
  
“Whaaaattt!” Akiha said, “That’s ridiculous! I’m just.. I’m just...”  
  
“No that sounds about right.” Shiki said, taking another sip of wine.   
  
“Shiki-saaammmaaa!” Akiha whined, “Don’t encourage her!”   
  
“Hmmm... should I listen to you and prove Hisui right?” Shiki pondered, “I mean, I do never say no to you...”  
  
“That’s not what it means!” Akiha’s face was red.  
  
“Hehehe just admit it Akiha-chan, you’re the real master of the Tohno Mansion!”  
  
“Here here! All hail Akiha-sama.” Shiki held up his glass in a toast.  
  
“All hail Akiha-sama!” Hisui enthusiastically clinked her drink against Shiki’s.  
  
“Nnnnnggggggg.....” Akiha groaned, “Stop making fun of me...”

* * *

Shiki wondered, for a moment, just how much wine Akiha had brought. His head was fuzzy, and he found himself walking around as the two girls stared at him. “You know what? You’re both acting really weird!” He announced.   


  
“Ehhh whaddya mean Shikichan?” Hisui said.  
  
“Well, for one.” Shiki said, “Hisui’s supposed to be my maid, and really serious. She’d wake me up and say ‘Good morning Shiki-sama’ and I’d say ‘Don’t call me Shiki-sama’ and then she’d say ‘I will remember that, Shiki-sama’.” For some reason, this made Akiha burst out laughing. “And you!” He pointed at Akiha, “You’re not supposed to be my maid. You’re my... my... uh... right! Lover! Girlfriend! Partner! Any one of those!”  
  
“Ehhhh!?” Both Hisui and Akiha said at the same time.  
  
“Yeah! Really Akiha. You freaked out just cause I saw your underwear? Pah. I’ve seen a tooonnn more than that.” Shiki wasn’t even using a glass anymore, he poured the bottle straight down his throat.  
  
“Y-y-you peaked on me Shiki-sama!?” Akiha said.  
  
“Pfftt peaked? Hell no. You stripped for me. Right in front of me. I remember this one time when we were at the beach...” And Shiki began telling a story. A ribald tale of some of the many times he and Akiha had interacted as lovers. The details slowly becoming more and more explicit, as Akiha’s face became redder and redder. Meanwhile Hisui’s grin became wider and wider with each new creative name for a sex position that came up.   
  
“....and then you had to go to a meeting with some corporate type ten minutes later... but you were right back on me once it ended...” Shiki finished the bottle, falling down onto the chair, “You saying you don’t remember any of that Akiha?” Akiha didn’t say anything, what  **could** she say? Upon noting her blushing silence, Shiki became notably depressed, “You don’t, do you.” He sighed, holding the bottle upside down, “Damn it. Empty.”  
  
Hisui, drunk as she was, seemed to realize it was time for a change of subject, “What bout Neesan? If we’re actin funny... how does she do normally Shikichan?”  
  
However, her attempt to lighten Shiki’s mood failed, “Kohaku... I dunno.”  
  
The following silence lasted only a brief moment. “Shiki-sama!” Akiha suddenly stood up, “If you wish that of me, then as your loyal servant I have no choice!” She began to try and take off her blouse. But the buttons proved strangely difficult.   
  
“Wait! Akihachan!” Hisui grabbed Akiha’s arms and valiantly attempted to halt her undressing, “Don’t be impulsive!”  
  
“Quiet Hisui! If Shiki-sama wants to do the raging bull with me, then I must!” Akiha struggled to pull Hisui off her so she could strip properly, but this only ended with both girls collapsed onto the ground.  
  
Fortunately, this succeeded where Hisui had failed, and Shiki started laughing. “Man... this is pretty nice too though, a bit.”  
  
“A-hah!” Akiha pulled herself free of Hisui, pulling herself up onto Shiki. “Now, Shiki-sama....” She said, straddling his waist, “I... I’ll do whatever you want!”  
  
Shiki sighed, “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want.”  
  
“But I...” Akiha lost her strength, and fell forward onto Shiki. “I want you to be happy.”  
  
Shiki smiled faintly, “That’s OK Akiha. I’ll figure out what’s going on... eventually...” 

* * *

Shiki woke up with a small headache. “What... time is it...?” His glasses were still on, had he really fallen asleep in the parlor? He looked to his left, he had. Hisui was sleeping on the floor, while there was a warmth on top of him. It was Akiha, she had fallen asleep on top of him. His eyes widened in panic, but he quickly noticed that Akiha was still completely dressed. “Geez.... I got a little too into it.” The last thing he remembered clearly was teasing Akiha with Hisui with that little toast. His attention turned to the young woman sleeping on top of him. It was a sight he had seen many times before, her peaceful sleeping face. When Akiha let the stress around her fade, and allowed herself to simply rest with him there for her.

He was always grateful when he was able to wake up to see this sight, even now, with things strange and wrong, just seeing her at peace made him smile. Even if she wasn’t quite the same as the Akiha he knew... it was too much to resist. So he gave into the temptation, just a little bit. Leaning forward, he softly kissed her on the lips. “Ahhh...” Akiha groaned, her posture shifting as she began to waken. Shiki quickly leaned back and closed his eyes, “N....Shiki-sama?”  
  
Shiki pretended to wake up, “Oh... ahhh... good morning Akiha.” He smiled as Akiha realized just where she was.  
  
“S-S-Shiki-s-sama....”  
  
Shiki couldn’t help himself, “Now Akiha, I know you’re the real queen of this kingdom. But that doesn’t mean you have to literally use me as a throne.”  
  
“Ahhhhhh!!” Akiha jumped off him, her face red, “I’m sorry I’m sorry!”  
  
“Wazzaatt...?” Hisui woke up at this time. “Oh. Akiha-chan finally made her-”  
  
“Hisui!” Akiha quickly shut the other girl up.  
  
Shiki just laughed, stretching as he got out of the chair, “Well, Akiha, I think I’ll take a shower before school. You should too.” He waved to the two girls, leaving the room.  
  
“Fine...” Akiha sighed.  
  
“Right... I think I’ll go make break-” Hisui was stopped by Akiha grabbing her by the collar.  
  
“You can shower too, Hisui-san. Breakfast can be simple today.” Akiha said.  
  
“Awww...” Hisui groaned, before heading off to one of the many bathrooms in this mansion.  
  
Akiha was now alone in the parlor, one hand went up, touching her lips. “Did... did he really...?” She said aloud to nobody, “Or...” or was it a dream, like the rest of what she had seen as she rested in his arms.  
  
“Still...” Akiha whispered, frowning, “Why, in those dreams, did I call him Nii-san?” 


	4. Why is she Smiling?

Hisui felt... strange. She walked to school with Shiki and Akiha. Ever since entering that mansion, even though she remembered coming over many times before, she had felt like something was... wrong. Like she was wrong and reality didn’t match with what should be.  
  
She walked to school, trailing behind Shiki and Akiha, even though, as far as she could remember, she tended to lead the way.  
  


**Part 4: Why is she smiling?**

  
“Oh, good morning Shiki-san.” Their path intersected with Kohaku once they were close to the school. Shiki couldn’t quite read Kohaku’s mood. She seemed to be in a good mood, but Shiki had by now learned that exactly how Kohaku felt could be very difficult to achieve. “Did you have a good time with Hisui-chan?” She asked.  
  
Shiki laughed a little uneasily, “Well, yeah, I guess we did.” He decided to not bring up that he couldn’t quite remember half the night. Hisui was saying something to Akiha that she vehemently denied.   
  
Kohaku smiled, “Glad to hear it. We keep on imposing on you, been doing it for the longest time.”  
  
Shiki shrugged, “I don’t mind Kohaku-san. Life would be boring without you and Hisui.”  
  
“Oh, what about Akiha-san?”  
  
“Her too. The three of you are... well... you’re practically my family.” Shiki’s relationship with the Armias had always been strained, due to him just not feeling like he belonged, his birth family was all dead. His adoptive family had... gone badly. SHIKI had nearly killed him, there was nobody on this earth Shiki hated more than Tohno Makihisa, and he had long stopped thinking of Akiha has a sister. So, as Akiha had slipped into the role of his partner, Hisui and Kohaku slipped into an odd pseudo-sibling relationship.  
  
Kohaku laughed lightly at this, “I guess me and Hisui-chan will be invited to the reunion then?”   
  
“Sure, why not?” Shiki said, “I’ll just say you’re all my guests and they’ll  **have** to wait on you hand and foot.”  
  
“Oh that sounds like fun...” Kohaku said.  
  


* * *

  
Once again it was lunch time with Arihiko. “So,” Shiki began their conversation casually, “How was your date?” Before it quickly shifted into seriousness.  
  
“Oh... hey man. What’s with the scary look?” Arihiko said.   
  
“Just curious about what you did with Kohaku-san?” Shiki said in a pleasant tone that made Arihiko shudder.  
  
“Geez man, you’re terrifying.” Arihiko laughed, “You’re acting like I was dating your sister or something.”   
  
“Nah if you were trying that you’d be dead already.” Shiki answered without missing a beat.  
  
“Seesh such a cold blooded answer.” Arihiko leaned back in his chair, “Still, I guess I should answer your question before I end up a murder victim. Me and Kohaku-chan walked around, had some cheap ramen, and played some games at the arcade.”  
  
“That’s all?” Shiki said, incredulous.  
  
“Well, yeah. What? Did you take me for some kind of pervert?” Arihiko laughed again, the laughter quickly fading as Shiki didn’t laugh with him, “You do, don’t you.”  
  
“Absolutely.” Shiki admitted. “Well, it’s just, Kohaku-san is...”  
  
“Yeah I get it.” Arihiko said, “You’ve always been like that. Poor Hisui-chan, never able to get a date.” He sighed dramatically, “If only the Tohno Monster wasn’t there, they could live a normal life.”  
  
“Oh very funny.” Shiki said with incredible sarcasm. He opened his lunch box, picking up some rice and eating it for a few minutes. “So, why Kohaku-san?”  
  
Arihiko raised an eyebrow, “Really? You don’t know?”  
  
“I don’t know why she’d say yes to dating you-”  
  
“Dude,  **she** asked  **me** out.” Arihiko said.  
  
 _So this was how I’m going to die._  Shiki thought,  _Choking on rice as Arihiko says the most impossible thing in the universe._  Fortunately, he managed to cough enough to get the rice down his throat. “Seriously?”  
  
“I don’t really get it either.” Arihiko shrugged, “She just asked if I wanted to out with her a month ago. You’ll have to ask her.”  
  
“Got it, this is a mystery I’ll have to solve another day.” Shiki said, “Just one of many...”  
  
“Oh? What kind of mysteries does our great Tohno-sama have to solve?” Arihiko was grinning.  
  
“Well, for one, to find out why I seem to be trapped in a world in which everything is wrong. Also why I can see the absolute Death of All Things. Why in the world Hisui thinks Banana Shrimp Pizza is a good idea, those sorts of things.”   
  
Arihiko laughed, “Man those are some dumb mysteries.”  
  
Shiki just rolled his eyes, well, not like he expected Arihiko to realize he wasn’t exactly joking.  
  
“Seriously. Why Banana Shrimp?”   
  
“Beats me.” Arihiko said with a shrug.  
  


* * *

“You’re going off again?” Hisui whined.  
  
Kohaku was frowning, “I’m not going to be gone long Hisui-chan. I’ll be back in time for dinner. Unless you want to-”  
  
“No way. I can’t impose on Shiki-chan twice in a row! Need at least a day between each mooching.” Hisui was pouting.  
  
“Oh? What’s going on?” Akiha approached the girls.  
  
“Hey Akiha-chan.” Hisui waved, before pointing dramatically at Kohaku, “This person is spending soooo much time with her new lame boyfriend!”  
  
Akiha sighed, “Hisui-san, last I checked, weren’t you the one who insisted Kohaku-san ask Inui-san on a date?”   
  
“Eehhhh that was just a joke! I thought it’d be funny to see Ari-kun make a jackass of himself.” Hisui said.  
  
This prompted Kohaku to roll her eyes, “Hisui-chan, I am forever grateful that you consider my love life a source of endless amusement.”   
  
“Hehehehe.” Hisui laughed nervously, “You’re not mad, Nee-san?”   
  
“Oh that depends...” Kohaku said, “Think about it for a bit Hisui-chan, maybe dinner will be interesting tonight.”  
  
“Ohhh no fair Nee-san, holding my food over my head like a damocles sword!” Hisui whined.  
  
“You bring it on yourself Hisui-san.” Akiha said.  
  
“Ahhhh! Even Akiha-chan is against me!” Hisui made a motion as if to faint. “Well then, I should probably get home now.”  
  
Akiha nodded, “Shiki-sama seems a bit busy right now, I think I’ll go home now and start dinner preparations.”   
  
Kohaku sat down on a bench near the gate, “I’ll just wait for Arihiko-san then.”   
  


* * *

“Welcome home Shiki-sama.” Shiki was surprised to see Akiha had gotten home ahead of him, changed into that maid uniform, and was waiting for him at the front door.  
  
“Hi Akiha,” Shiki waved to her, “So is it just you and me today?”  
  
“That’s right.” Akiha seemed to be in a good mood, “As much as I’m sure you enjoy company, I’m positive that you enjoy your alone time, right Shiki-sama?”  
  
Shiki shrugged, “I’m not really alone if you’re here.”  
  
“Oh. R-right.” Akiha blushed, “I didn’t think you’d really consider me...”   
  
Shiki laughed, “You’re adorable when you blush like that, you know?” He walked past her into the mansion.  
  
“S-Sh-Shiki-sama! Don’t say such things!” Akiha said, following him inside.  
  


* * *

Shiki couldn’t focus on his homework, while he worked on some math problems, Akiha was running around doing all the housecleaning. It was ridiculous, even Hisui and Kohaku had split duties. But here this Akiha was, sweeping, washing, cooking, everything. It bothered him, it bothered him even more than usual.  
  
Some small part of him snidely pointed out that his guilt had only started to grow when it was  **Akiha** doing the work. He dismissed that with a small reasoning that Hisui and Kohaku were paid to do this, when as far as he knew this was just some delusion of Akiha’s. “Akiha,” He said to her, catching her attention as she was dusting a table. “Can you come here for a minute? I want to talk to you.”  
  
“Very well.” Ahika set down the duster, approaching him. “What is it Shiki-sama?”  
  
“First, can you sit down? I think this might take a while.” Shiki gestured to a chair across the table he was sitting at.  
  
Akiha sighed, “Very well.” She sat down across from him.  
  
“Now then...” Shiki closed his eyes in thought, how to broach the subject. “Can... you tell me what you’ve felt your childhood is like?” He decided to start there.  
  
However, Akiha looked confused, “Shiki-sama, you should know-”  
  
“I want to know how  **you** felt.” Shiki said, interrupting her obvious objection. Of course he knew her childhood, but he was doubting it was the same.  
  
“Very well.” Akiha sighed, “Where to begin...? I guess it started with my being taken in. Makihisa-sama took me under his care at a very young age. At the time, I had nothing. No family, no history. The only thing I had was the clothing on my back.” She looked distant, “I don’t know quite why he did. He never said anything about it, and I ultimately asked to be hired as a maid to help repay my debt. As a child I would play with you all the time, Shiki-sama.”  
  
Shiki nodded, “I remember that. You would just follow me around a lot.”  
  
Akiha smiled nostalgically, “I was a very shy child.”   
  
Shiki himself became lost in fond memories, “The four of us had a lot of fun...”  
  
“That’s right. You, Hisui-san, me and.... and.....” Ahika’s expression suddenly looked pained, a hand went up to her forehead.  
  
“Akiha...?”  
  
“And... and Kohaku-san. Yes. the four of us would play around, do silly things. I remember making a painting with Hisu involving you.” Akiha’s face flushed a little. Shiki remembered that too, and gestured for her to go on. “And well, then Makihisa-sama had you sent away.”  
  
“Why?” Shiki asked.  
  
“Why...? I... I don’t know. I think it was for your education.” Akiha said. “Shouldn’t you know?”  
  
“I’m just asking your opinion on things.” Shiki said.  
  
“Well my opinion is that you shouldn’t have been, but it was Makihisa-sama’s choice.” Akiha said with a huff.  
  
“So you then spent a few more years here, getting educated and decided to become a maid?”   
  
“That’s correct.” Akiha nodded, “You finally returned last year. It was such a great day, I... missed you greatly, Shiki-sama.”  
  
“Yeah, last year when I came back. And... those murders.” Shiki said finally.  
  
“...murders?” Akiha said.  
  
Shiki frowned, “You remember, the Vampire Murders? That happened last year? Around the time I came back? It was all over the news.”  
  
Akiha shook her head, “I’m sorry, I must have missed that.”   
  
Shiki sighed, “Never mind. It’s not important.”  
  
However Akiha’s expression clearly communicated that she didn’t believe him on that matter, she let it slide with a nod. “Is this all?”  
  
Shiki shook his head, “What about Kohaku-san? What’s your relationship with her like?”  
  
Akiha shrugged, “We get along well enough. We’re both a bit more serious and quiet then Hisui. I, well, I have confided a few things in her.”  
  
Shiki smiled, “So she’s like your confidant?”  
  
“Well, nothing so deep. Just friends who talk to each other.” Akiha muttered, looking away from Shiki.  
  
“Still, glad to hear you get along so well.” Shiki said. With those final words the room became silent. Akiha didn’t say anything, and Shiki couldn’t think of anything more to say. Well, that wasn’t true. There were a few things he could say, but wouldn’t.   
  
He wanted to tell Akiha how he felt around her, to remind her of who she was in his eyes. He didn’t like the idea of being served and always treated Hisui and Kohaku as, at most, employees rather than servants meant to be subservient. Akiha was even more pronounced.  
  
He didn’t want a servant. He wanted the woman who was his equal partner back. He wanted the woman who looked out for him, who he discussed their future with. He wanted to be able to worry about her too. He wanted to be able to  **act** upon his feelings without thinking he was taking advantage of her. But he couldn’t. Because he didn’t know.  
  
“Shiki-sama...” Akiha turned to face him again, her expression a faint smile, “I-”  
  
The phone rang.  
  
“I’ll get it!” Shiki quickly stood up, this was the best rebellion he could think of against Akiha insisting on being a servant. He ran past her to the phone, “Hello?”  
  
“Ah, Shiki-san.” It was Kohaku. Her voice sounded.... strange.  
  
“What is it Kohaku-san?” Shiki said.  
  
“It’s... it’s Arihiko-san. I’m at the hospital right now. I... I just saw him in.”  
  
“What!?” Shiki shouted, “What is it? Is he OK? Are you-”  
  
“C-can you come talk to me about it here...?” Kohaku’s voice was shaking.  
  
“Of course!” Shiki said, “I’ll be right there, bye!” He hung up the phone, “Sorry Akiha, there’s been an emergency. Arihiko’s been hospitalized!”  
  
“What?! Is he OK?” Akiha said, her eyes wide with shock.  
  
“I don’t know. Kohaku-san wants to talk about it in person.” Shiki said.  
  
“Th-that’s fine. I’ll keep handling things here, you go see what’s wrong.” Akiha said.  
  
“Right! Thank you.” Shiki said before running out the door at high speeds. What was going on? What could have hurt Arihiko?  
  


* * *

  
When Shiki arrived, the lobby to the hospital was strangely empty. Only Kohaku and one other woman were sitting in the waiting room. “Kohaku-san!” Shiki shouted as he ran over to her, she mechanically turned to face him.

Her expression was of horror.  
  
“Kohaku-san... where’s Arihiko!?” He sat down next to her, “Is he... OK?”  
  
“The doctors are treating him.” Kohaku seemed to be doing her best to keep her voice level. “He... was stabbed, several times in the abdomen. Fortunately, no vital organs were pierced.”  
  
“W-what!? Who did this? Do you know? Was it a burglar?” Shiki couldn’t hide his fear, he desperately pleaded for any information from Kohaku.  
  
Kohaku didn’t say anything for some time. She just stared down at her feet. “I... I did.”  
  
“....what?” Shiki couldn’t think of anything to say. What... what did she mean she stabbed him?  
  
“I had come over to Arihiko-san’s house. You see, yesterday... on the date, I had wanted to do more, but his sister showed up and well....” Kohaku began to explain without any emotion. “So I decided to spend some more time with him. Today was good, we managed to be alone at his place. So we kissed a bit, he held me. So we decided now was a good time, so I began to undress.” Her fingernails dug into her knees, “I... I was fine. I was looking forward to it! And then he touched me.”  
  
“What... happened?”  
  
“When he touched me. I suddenly felt my entire body and mind reject it. I felt...revulsion, like it was the most disgusting thing any human being could do. I wanted to scream, so I did. It... it felt like I was reliving something horrible. I couldn’t think, all I knew is that I wanted the monster I felt inside of me and outside of me and everywhere  **gone** and I couldn't think so I grabbed a pocket knife on his dresser and just began to stab and stab until he was gone and Arihiko-san remained and I realized what I had done.” She looked up at Shiki, and she was  **smiling.**  
  
A familiar, empty smile that Shiki always knew Kohaku to wear.   
  
“And you know what’s funny, Shiki-san? Even though I know I should be scared, I know I should be worried? Deep down... I don’t feel anything at all.”


	5. Where is she?

The hospital was quiet as Shiki entered the room Arihiko was resting in. He was awake, though pale. He was wearing a large hospital gown, and Shiki was sure he was wrapped in a ton of bandages. Arihiko’s gaze quickly moved to him. The two friends waited in silence. What could be said? What could Shiki possibly say to his friend right now? Finally, Shiki sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose and spoke.   
  
“I knew you were bad with women, but really?”   
  
Arihiko snorted with a self-derisive laugh.

 

Role Revert

  
By Pata Hikari

  
Part 5: Where is she?

 

“So are you OK?” Shiki said, leaning against the wall, staring directly at his friend.   
  
Arihiko returned his gaze with a confident grin, “Eh, I’ve lived through worse.”

  
“Well that’s a relief. It would have been a pain to pay for your funeral.”  Shiki said.   
  
“Pfft I didn’t know tossing my body into the river cost so much.” Arihiko replied.   
  
They both laughed quietly to themselves for a minute, before Shiki spoke up again. “You’re not mad, at Kohaku-san, are you?” It was an absurd question on the face of it. She had just brutally injured him, but he was asking if he wasn’t mad?

“Nah. It was... weird.” Arihiko said, “It was like her mind wasn’t there anymore. It was somewhere else. She just was yelling ‘stop’ over and over. Then when she realized she had gutted me she snapped back into reality, crying and apologizing.” He tried to sit up, but it seemed his current condition didn’t allow it. “You’ve known Kohaku-chan a lot longer then I have dude, do you have any idea what happened?”

  
Shiki sighed, pushing his glasses up, “Arihiko. Can you promise never to mention this to  **anyone?** And I mean anyone, don’t even tell Kohaku-san I told you this.”   
  
Arihiko frowned, “That serious? Is it something Kohaku-chan doesn’t want me to know?”   
  
“I don’t know. It’s... complicated.” Shiki said, “Still... I think it’s best for you to know.” He took a deep breath, focused himself and finally spoke about a topic that he deeply loathed. “Kohaku-san was... sexually abused as a child.”

  
“What?! What the hell? That’s... you’re serious?” Arihiko said, and Shiki nodded grimly. “What the hell... what kind of sick fucker would do that?”   
  
“...my old man.” Shiki practically spat it out. Arihiko had never seen Shiki look so angry as he did that moment.

  
“What... what the hell? Him? Why did... that’s... that’s messed up.” Arihiko said, “Wait...” A grim thought came to Arihiko’s mind, “He died around last year... around the time you were asked to-”   
  
Shiki laughed bitterly, “Nah. I didn’t kill him, if that’s what you’re thinking. For what he did, yeah, I wish I could have though.”   
  
Arihiko just sighed, “So is that why she... freaked out?”   
  
Shiki nodded, “Though... I think Kohaku-san doesn’t quite remember it.”

“So what? Repressed memories or something?” Arihiko said.

“I... I don’t really know. The point is that she doesn’t seem to consciously realize it right now. Hisui doesn’t know either.” Shiki said.   
  
“Yeah, I get it. So basically just be a good understanding boyfriend and keep my mouth shut.” Arihiko said.    
  
“Sorry about this.” Shiki added.   
  
Arihiko shrugged, “No problem man.”

 

* * *

When Shiki returned to the waiting room, he noticed that two more people had joined in. Namely, two police officers that were talking to Kohaku.

“Good evening Officers,” Shiki slipped into the conversation, “Is something going on?” 

“Hmm?” The taller and older officer glanced at Shiki, “We’re talking to this young lady about an incident, nothing for you to be worried about.”   
  
“Oh but she’s my friend. Of course I’m worried about her.” Shiki bowed, “I’m Tohno Shiki, it’s nice to meet you officer.”   
  
“Tohno...?” The officer muttered.   
  
“Yes. Kohaku-san is a long time friend of mine, and she’s recently been traumatized by a brutal attack on her boyfriend.” Shiki gave a casual and polite smile, “I’m sure that the last thing she needs is extra stress. She’s given a statement?”   
  
“W-well yeah. Said some robber got in, and attacked him.”   
  
“Then is there anything else you need to be asking her?” Shiki said.   
  
“Wait a min-” The younger officer said, but was silenced by a glare from his partner.   
  
“No you’re right Tohno-san, we’ll be leaving now.”   
  
“Thank you very much.” Shiki said, as the officers quickly left. “Well...” He sighed, “That wasn’t fun.” He disliked that, he knew full well the Tohno name was one well known in city politics. And here he was, using that name to deflect attention away. Well, it wasn’t like they could understand what Kohaku was going through. Once the officers were gone, he glanced back at Kohaku, “Are you alright, Kohaku-san?”   
  
Kohaku looked up away from the ground into Shiki’s eyes, “Oh, I’m fine... thank you Shiki-san.”

Shiki gave her his attempt at a comforting smile, “How about I walk you home?”

Kohaku nodded, “That would be fine, Shiki-san.”

* * *

 

Shiki didn’t actually know where Kohaku was living now, luckily he could simply let her lead the way. Walking beside her, doing his best not to look like he has no idea where they’re going. Finally they reached an apartment building, climbing up to the second floor and reaching a nondescript door. Kohaku reached into her bag, pulling out a key and unlocking it. “I’m home.” She announced wearily, she walked in, pulling off her shoes, “You can come and sit down for a minute.” She said to him.

“Oh, thank you.” Shiki said, pulling off his own shoes and following Kohaku inside. The apartment was sparsely furnished, a few seats, a table, a single TV. Standing in the kitchen was Hisui, a phone in her hands.

“...come on come on... nothing.” Hisui said and hung up the phone. “Oh, hey Nee-san... Shiki-chan? Did something happen?”

Kohaku just sighed, “I... it’s long and difficult.” She said.    
  
Shiki decided to be a little helpful, “Arihiko’s gotten himself in the hospital and Kohaku-san’s worried about him.”   
  
Hisui’s eyes widened in shock, “What!? How? What did he do? What happen-”   
  
“He’s fine Hisui-chan. Don’t worry about.” Kohaku said quickly. “Just... just... just get some leftovers into the microwave please.” She sat down in front of the TV and turned it on.

Hisui turned to Shiki, her expression asking him what was going on. In response he just shook his head. “Oh fine... I’ll make some tea.” Hisui said, “I... can do that much.”

“Thanks,” Shiki said.

* * *

 

It was late by the time Shiki got home again. Akiha was standing in the entryway, “Welcome back.”  She said to him, bowing as he staggered into the large empty building.   
  
“Hello.” Shiki didn’t ask if Akiha was waiting for him the entire time. He was too tired to bring that up. “I’m not hungry Akiha. I don’t think I’ll be having dinner tonight.”   
  
Akiha didn’t say anything about that, simply nodded in reply, “Very well.”

* * *

 

Breakfast was silent, the walk to school was silent.

Shiki was glad, he didn’t want to talk right now. He was too busy trying to think of what he could do. There had to be some-   
  
“Kohaku’s not at school today.” People were whispering around him.

“I heard she went to Inui’s place.”   
  
“Yeah I live near him, there were sirens going on!”   
  
“You think he might...”   
  
“Well he does look like the kind of...”   
  
“I knew she was playing with fire-”   
  
Shiki slammed his hands against his desk, the whispering students in his class immediately stared at him. 

“Arihiko got himself hurt, and Kohaku-san’s worried sick about him.” Shiki said, his voice a low growl, “He’s not that kind of guy.”

Nobody said anything for a short time, then the whispering started up again. It seemed that they remembered him as being fiercely protective of Kohaku, and that if he said nothing had happened to her, then nothing had.

 

* * *

 

People seemed to realize that Shiki wanted to be left alone after that, so the other students left him alone. So Shiki finished his school day in silence, as he shuffled out of class after the others. As he did, he noticed a familiar person slipping into a different classroom across the hall. “Hisui...?” He wondered if he should follow her. She was, apparently, a second year. So there was little reason for her to be up on the third floor, especially entering another classroom. Did she had a meeting with somebody? He stood outside the door to the classroom, wondering what Hisui was doing-   
  
“What do you mean you can’t find them!” Hisui’s voice flew through the door of the classroom. Shiki decided that now was a good time to see what was going on. Hisui was standing in front of a teacher, he looked fairly embarrassed.    
  
“I’m sorry, but I think we’ve misplaced her records, I can’t find her in my attendance sheet or her grades...”   


“But she’s in your class! God how could you miss-”   
  
“Hisui.” Shiki said, interrupting her tirade.    
  
“Ah! Shiki-chan!” Hisui turned around.   
  
“Is something the matter?” Shiki asked, “Like... why are you up here?”   
  
Hisui was frowning, “It’s horrible Shiki-chan. Senpai’s been gone for a while, yet people don’t seem to care! And her grades and records are missing!”    
  
Shiki frowned, “Who’s missing Hisui...?”   
  
Hisui looked shocked, “What.. don’t you realize it Shiki-chan?”   
  
Shiki shook his head.

“Yumizuka Satsuki-Senpai! She’s been gone for the past few days, and she won’t answer when I call!”   
  
Shiki felt a chill come over him.

 

* * *

 

Hisui’s goal of trying to bring some homework to Satsuki failed, seeing as there wasn’t any homework for her. Hisui walked ahead of him, her fists clenching and unclenching as she silently marched. Once they reached the gate, Hisui turned around and pointed at Shiki. “We’re going to see Satsuki-senpai.”

  
“Huh?”   
  
“Something weird’s going on. She’s sick or something. I’m going to go see her.” Hisui said, “Come on.” She grabbed his arm. “We’ll find out what’s going on!”

“W-Wait, Hisui!” Shiki protested, but it was useless. Hisui was as stubborn as ever. She marched, and Shiki was dragged. All the way to a small house in a quiet neighborhood. Hisui strode up to the door and knocked.   
  
A minute later, the door opened. It was an older woman, her brown hair and worried face looked familiar to Shiki.  “Hisui...?” She said, with a bleary eyed expression.   
  
“Afternoon Yumizuka-san.” Hisui said, “Is Satsuki-senpai sick? I’m a bit worried about her?” 

The woman’s expression turned worse. “It’s... I don’t know. She.. she’s vanished!”

* * *

 

They had been invited in the house, Shiki looked around. It was a fairly normal house, it reminded him of the Arimas. Hisui acted familiar with the building, and followed what Shiki assumed was Satsuki’s mother.

  
“We didn’t fight or anything. I just woke up one morning and she wasn’t there. I thought maybe she had left for school early but then she didn’t come back and I don’t know where she went!” Mrs. Yumizuka, it seemed, was taking the two guests as opportunity to vent about her worries.   
  
Shiki didn’t say anything, but Hisui seemed to be expressing worry. “That’s weird... she just left?”   
  
“I don’t know! The doors were all locked and she left behind her key!” Mrs. Yumizuka said.   
  
“Can I see her room?” Shiki suggested.

  
“Hmm...? You are...”   
  
“He’s a friend of mine.” Hisui said, “And can we?”    
  
Mrs. Yumizuka sighed, “I guess. Maybe there’s some hint I missed.”   
  
“Have you called the police?” Shiki asked, following her to where Satsuki’s room was.

“Of course, they say they’re looking for her...” Mrs. Yumizuka said, opening the door to what appeared to be a perfectly normal room. There was a desk with textbooks on it, a shelf with some books and manga. A western style bed and nightstand in the corner. Some photos hung from a wall. Shiki immediately noticed this room didn’t have a window.

The room was well kept, but something seemed off about it.  Shiki walked over to the bookshelf and removed a book from the shelf. Behind the book was a fair amount of dust. It was like the shelf had been cleaned often, but the books themselves were rarely moved. Next Shiki examined the desk, the textbooks looked familiar. He picked one up, it was a second year math book. Shiki opened the drawers, inside were papers. Homework, from the looks of it. The papers were dating for 1999, last year.   
  
The phone rang, “I’ll get it.” Mrs. Yumizuka said, rushing out of her room. Shiki and Hisui stood alone, Hisui was looking around and frowning.   
  
“Where are the pictures of me? I remember some being here.” Hisui said.   
  
“When was the last time you remember seeing her?” Shiki asked.

  
“Last Saturday, at school.” Hisui answered.   
  
“What!? What do you mean-” Mrs. Yumizuka’s voice flew into the room.   
  
Shiki shook his head, “That... doesn’t work, Hisui. Yumizuka-san... died over a year ago.” Shiki finally said what had been eating at him since he heard that name.

  
“She can’t have!” Mrs. Yumizuka shouted. “I... that doesn’t make any sense!” There was a thud as a phone was violently hung up. Mrs. Yumizuka, if anything, looked even more pale when she returned to the room. She looked at Shiki and Hisui, her expression frazzled.

“What, did they say Yumizuka-san?” Hisui asked quietly.

“The... the police called, saying that she’s been missing for a long time.” Mrs. Yumizuka said, “They said that they have records of his disappearance from last year.” She sighed, “I’m sorry, but I need to go to the station. I need to see this for myself...”   
  
“No it’s alright Yumizuka-san.” Shiki said, “We were just about to leave.” He gently took Hisui’s hand, leading her out of the house.


End file.
